Testimony resumes in trial of ex-New Orleans mayor

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former Mayor Ray Nagin's defense attorney has begun attacking the credibility of the lead witness in Nagin's federal corruption trial.

City contractor Rodney Williams was the first to testify in Nagin's trial on Thursday.

Nagin's 21-count indictment accuses him of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes — including money, trips and truckloads of free granite for his family business — in return for helping contractors secure city business.

Williams testified about $60,000 in alleged payoffs to secure city contracts. Defense lawyer Robert Jenkins on Friday noted that Williams has admitted having lied to the FBI about the case before eventually making a plea bargain with federal prosecutors.

Nagin, a Democrat who was mayor when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, served two terms before leaving office in 2010.